Sharing & Caring launches food drive, business support network

Monday

CRESTVIEW — If grocery shoppers picked up one extra non-perishable food each week and donated it to Sharing and Caring, the local food bank could meet its weekly demand, volunteers said.

CRESTVIEW — If grocery shoppers picked up one extra non-perishable food each week and donated it to Sharing and Caring, the local food bank could meet its weekly demand.

The "Everybody Give One" drive is the brainchild of Sharing and Caring volunteer Bret Jenkins, an instructor at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal at Eglin Air Force Base.

The number of families that Sharing and Caring serves continues to increase over last year's record-setting numbers, food bank vice president Robin Marston said.

"We're serving well over a hundred a week that walk through the door," she said, explaining that each person who collects food represents several other family members at home who were served by Sharing and Caring.

"If everybody would just give something every week, we'd have more than enough," he said. "When you go to Publix or Winn-Dixie and they have BOGO, that extra one could help feed a family at no extra cost."

Business drop-offs

Jenkins also initiated a business sponsorship program. At no cost to the business, Sharing and Caring will designate the company a food bank drop-off location, provide a collection bin, and will pick up donations weekly.

The News Bulletin, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Crestview station and Gordon Martial Arts are three sponsoring organizations.

The food bank is about to reap a windfall in one commodity thanks to local farmers, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences extension agent Elaine Courtney said.

Courtney has been working on a peanut butter collection drive with the Crestview and Niceville chambers of commerce. Nearly 300 jars, or 5,288.5 ounces, of peanut butter were donated in the Crestview area.

The Florida Peanut Producers Association will match the donations ounce by ounce, Courtney said. Peanut butter will remain in the community in which it was donated, she said.

While some will remain with churches that donated it for use in their cold weather soup kitchens, the majority will go to Sharing and Caring, Courtney said.